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Honors Program

MassBay’s Honors classes provide opportunities to engage with your peers, professors and the community in new and exciting ways. With your class, you will explore challenging topics through inquiry, writing, discussion, and critical thinking.

Honors Photo

MassBay’s Commonwealth Honors Program: What is Honors?

The Commonwealth Honors Program at MassBay offers all students an exciting opportunity to engage in advanced and enriching coursework. Open to anyone eager to expand their academic horizons, these courses allow students to work closely with faculty in smaller seminar-style classes, participate in dynamic discussions, and develop essential skills in research, writing, and critical thinking. The program fosters academic excellence, personal growth, and a close-knit, supportive community.

Honors courses at MassBay provide personalized attention, strengthen transfer applications to four-year universities, and pave the way for academic and professional success. Plus, students can earn scholarships and recognition for their achievements, making this a fantastic opportunity for all who are ready to excel.

Any student may apply to take an honors course, regardless of their gpa, degree, or academic history. Enrollment criteria for admission to individual honors courses might vary by course.

MassBay’s Honors program is affiliated with the National Collegiate Honors Council and the Commonwealth Honors Program. For more information about honors courses, email honors co-coordinators, Perry Beardsley (pbeardsley@massbay.edu) and Jason Mazaik (jmazaik@massbay.edu ). 

Commonwealth Honors Program Graduation Requirements

  • Graduates of MassBay’s Honors Program are guaranteed transfer to any Massachusetts Commonwealth Honors Program upon admission to a four-year institution. To graduate from the program, students must demonstrate the following:
  • Earn a minimum 3.2 GPA at the time of graduation
  • Complete a minimum of three honors courses (9 credits) with a grade of B or better, and the Honors Colloquium course (3 credits) with a grade of B or better. Beyond the minimum requirements, you can take as many honors courses as you would like.

 

Honors by Contract Option

Students interested in performing honors-level work in non-honors classes have the option to pursue an Honors contract for up to one (1) course, which can count toward fulfilling the requirements for completing the Commonwealth Honors Program. For more information, email honors co-coordinators Perry Beardsley (pbeardsley@massbay.edu) and Jason Mazaik (jmazaik@massbay.edu).

National Honor Societies

MassBay participates in the Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society as well as several other national honor societies, including Alpha Beta Gamma Business Honor Society, Psi Beta Psychology National Honor Society, and Delta Alpha Pi International Honors Society for High Achieving Students with Disabilities.

For more information about the above Honor Societies, please reach out to the respective advisors listed below: Phi Theta Kappa: Perry Beardsley (pbeardsley@massbay.edu) and Jason Mazaik (jmazaik@massbay.edu); Alpha Beta Gamma: Tom Niemi (tniemi@massbay.edu); Psi Beta: Joan Alegi-Feeney (jalegifeeney@massbay.edu) and Ruma Mishra (rmishra@massbay.edu); Delta Alpha Pi: Lisa Armstrong Smith (larmstrongsmith@massbay.edu).